New bridge span set for historic float to Portsmouth

Monday

Jan 14, 2013 at 9:57 AMJan 16, 2013 at 11:28 AM

PORTSMOUTH — The new 300-foot-long south span of the Memorial Bridge is scheduled to be moved on Tuesday from the State Pier in Portsmouth and set on rebuilt piers in the Piscataqua River, according to Archer Western Contractors (AWC).

The span was constructed on a barge (the Cape Cod), which has been berthed at the Port Authority Pier. At approximately 9 a.m. on Tuesday, shortly after low tide, the barge will be moved down river to a position between Piers 1 and 2. With the use of tugboats and a temporary jacking system, the span will be positioned and then lowered onto the new piers.

Additional details on this maneuver and timing will be available on Tuesday morning.

Once the span has been offloaded, the barge will be returned to the Port Authority Pier where workers will begin to assemble the north span, scheduled to be placed sometime in March.

With the south span in place, crews will begin to assemble the 180-foot south tower, which will support one side of the center lift span.

The bridge is scheduled to be open to traffic this summer. The final work, which includes completing approach work, the channel fender system, landscaping and cleanup, will take until the end of the year to complete.

More information on the bridge construction project can be found at www.memorialbridgeproject.com. Those who want to receive regular email updates may send a request to Carol Morris, Archer Western Public Outreach, at cmorris@morriscomm.net.